This invention is designed to provide an apparatus to be used primarily in conjunction with a crane in situations requiring a load, be it materials, equipment or otherwise, to be inserted into a portal or under an obstruction by the use of an elongated boom. Oftentimes, during construction, it is necessary to place materials in elevated locations without the aid of an attached loading platform. This necessitates the use of hooks and ropes to position the load and manually pull it through an opening, usually a vacant window opening. This function can be dangerous to both the employees and to the load, especially when the task is at great heights. Prior art lifting beams, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,012, utilizing a counterweight to offset the weight of the load require continuous counterweight adjustment, during load transfer, in order to prevent unwanted shifting of the load.
In view of the above, it should be appreciated that there is a need for a lifting beam that permits loads of various weights to be transferred from a ground level to an elevated level and through an opening in a building without the requirement of undue counterweight adjustment while the transfer is occurring. The present disclosure satisfies these and other needs and provides further related advantages.